Palin brings out GOP's feminist side

Tom Raum Associated Press Sept. 3, 2008 12:00 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Liberals sound like conservatives; the right sounds like the left. John McCain's surprise choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate has upended conventional wisdom and brought about a seeming role reversal.

Many liberals are belittling the choice, suggesting that, as a mother of five children, including an infant with Down syndrome, she has neither the time nor the experience to become vice president.

It's the conservatives who are sounding traditional feminist themes, claiming there is no reason why she can't multitask and be a mother and vice president at the same time.

"She is the best possible choice," said Phyllis Schlafly, Eagle Forum president.

Change and reform are getting top billing by Republicans, a mantra that had all but belonged to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"Welcome to the brave new world," said Rich Galen, a GOP consultant.

He said the selection of Palin challenges the common notion "that conservatives think women should stay at home and tend to babies and make sure dinner is on time."

Relatively unknown outside her home state, Palin gets a chance to introduce herself to the nation when she addresses the Republican National Convention in a prime-time speech tonight.

Degree of mystery

Kept under wraps since arriving in the convention city on Sunday night, a degree of mystery still surrounds her.

She was put on the ballot to try to reinforce traditional values. Yet the announcement by Palin and her husband that their unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant raised questions about how thoroughly the McCain campaign investigated her background.

Obama drew a line in the sand. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits," he said.

Still, the disclosure was an unwanted distraction for Republicans.

So, too, was a state legislative inquiry into whether the first-term governor improperly fired the Alaska commissioner of public safety for failing to dismiss a state trooper who divorced Palin's sister. A private counsel has been hired to represent the governor.

Abortion foes praised Palin for supporting daughter Bristol's decision to have the child. Palin announced that Bristol would marry the baby's father.

Although Palin's nomination has delighted religious conservatives and led to a spike in fundraising for McCain, it has also prompted questions among Republicans over what she will bring to McCain's efforts to attract moderates and independents.

The picture of her that is slowly emerging is far more complicated than at first glimpse.

She has some key differences with McCain.

For instance, she wants oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; he doesn't. She favors a complete ban on abortion except when a doctor determines that the mother's life would end if the pregnancy continued; he would make further exceptions in cases of rape or incest. She initially supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska that is McCain's favorite example of wasteful government spending.

And under her leadership, Alaska this year asked the federal government for almost $300 per person for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

That's more per person than any other state. McCain has railed for years against such earmarks, even to the point of alienating fellow GOP senators.

In addition, Palin's husband once belonged to a fringe political group in Alaska with some members supporting secession from the United States. Palin never registered as a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, according to state officials, though party members said she attended a 1994 convention with her husband.

Some top Democrats and Obama aides have slammed the nomination, emphasizing the 44-year-old governor's relative inexperience and potential placement "a heartbeat away" from the presidency.

Hillary Clinton credited

Former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, a top McCain campaign adviser, suggests the Democrats should ease up and take credit for helping pave the way for Palin's candidacy.

"Because of Hillary Clinton's historic run for the presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms," Fiorina said.

Fiorina's remark echoed some of the praise that Palin herself had for Clinton last week. The sudden willingness of top Republicans to honor the former first lady that their congressional leaders once delighted in attacking reflects the hope by GOP strategists that Palin might help their ticket win votes from Clinton supporters unwilling to back Obama.